Abstract

The controlled deposition of graphene on a large scale brings its exceptional thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties to commercial and industrial applications. In this talk, I will share my recent research activities in the nanomanufacturing of graphene during my sabbatical leave at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). In the first part of the presentation, the growth of vertical graphene nanosheets on copper meshes was optimized and scaled up to enable fast and efficient steam generation by solar energy. The deposition rate and uniformity of vertical graphene, in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system, depend on the mesh size, particularly its open area. By controlling this parameter, the height of vertical graphene can be varied between 228 nm and 610 nm in large-scale samples measuring 28 cm². High-speed imaging and optical emission spectroscopy techniques were employed to understand the interactions between the copper mesh and the plasma during the growth of vertical graphene.

In the second part of the talk, I will discuss our efforts to apply laser-induced graphene (LIG) for engineering flexible thermoelectric coolers. A commercial CO₂ laser was used to fabricate LIG on a flexible polyimide (PI) sheet, varying the laser power and speed to achieve different thermoelectric properties. The scalability and design flexibility of this method allow us to produce LIG coolers that provide cooling solutions below 0 °C by applying a thermopile pattern in one setup, eliminating the need for pre- or post-processing steps. This talk highlights the potential for mass production of graphene to create innovative technologies based on non-metallic materials, diversifying and strengthening Saudi Arabia's economy.

Biography

Majed A. Alrefae is an Assistant Professor at Yanbu Industrial College, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu. He received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2018, MS from KAUST in 2013, and BS from KFUPM in 2008. He is currently on sabbatical leave at the Mechanical Engineering Program in the Physical Science and Engineering Division at KAUST. He worked as a project engineer at SABIC from 2008 to 2010. At Purdue University, Majed optimized and characterized a custom-built scalable roll-to-roll plasma CVD system to deposit carbon nanostructures on various flexible substrates, including copper foil and carbon fiber. Majed won the KAUST Seed Fund in 2012 and was the most improved Entrepreneurial Lead in the I-Corps Program in 2017 for commercializing carbon nanostructures.